Hydraulic ram attachment for implements



Oct. 14, 1952 W. G. TOLAND HYDRAULIC RAM ATTACHMENT FOR IMPLEMENTS 2SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Dec. 26, 1947 Oct. 14, 1952 w. s. TOLAND HYDRAULICRAM ATTACHMENT FOR IMPLEMENTS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Dec. 26, 1947jnz/eni'or ZZ/a neGYZZaw ad [DMD-P- I and transport position and thelike.

Patented Oct. 14, 1952 HYDRAULIC RAM ATTACHMENT FOR IMPLEMENTS Wayne G.Toland, Canton, 111., assignor to International Harvester Company, acorporation of New Jersey Application December 26, 1947, Serial No.794,007 1 Claim. (01. 97-50) This invention relates to agriculturalimplements and particularly to power-lift mechanism for moving theimplement between operating and transport positions. More specifically,the invention relates to lifting mechanism deriving power from atractive vehicle and adapted for mounting upon different types ofimplements.

The invention is particularly concerned with power operated rams andsupporting mechanism by which they are mounted upon an implement formoving the working tools between operating The structure of the presentinvention will be illustrated and described in its application to anagricultural implement of the trail-behind type adapted for connectionin draft receiving relation to a tractive vehicle having a power plantthereon and a source of fluid pressure by which fluid under pressure maybe supplied to the ram unit for operating it.

When a ram unit is supplied by power from a tractor and. placed upon atrail-behind implement, communication is made with the source of poweron the tractor by means of flexible hose, and when the implement isdisconnected from the tractor the ram unit generally is retainedthereupon. The ram unit with which the present invention is concerned isof the hydraulic double-acting type under control of the tractoroperator and in which the fiuid holds the piston in the position in thecylinder it occupies when it is dismantled from the implement. In farmoperations it is customary for the operator to utilize this samehydraulic cylinder and piston unit for any implement which he may attachto the tractor. However, manufacturing variations are a commonoccurrence in implements and in the attaching elements by which thecylinder is carried upon the implement. Therefore when the ram unit istaken from one implement and mounted upon another or returned to theoriginal implement, the connecting points at the end of the piston andof the cylinder do not coincide with the connecting elements upon theimplement. The operator has previously resorted to altering the positionof the pistonon the cylinder. However, the adjustment of the piston inthe cylinder to conform to the spacing between the connecting elementson the implement supporting structure has been accomplished by trial anderror. That is, it has been necessary for the operator to manipulate thefluid controls upon the tractor to advance and retract the piston untilthe connecting elements of the cylinder are in proper 2 position withrespect to the corresponding elements upon the implement. Y

An object of the present invention is to provide novel and efficientmeans for avoiding the foregoing difficulties and to facilitate themount ing of a ram unit upon various implements.

Another object of the invention is to provide means. for adjusting thespacing between the connecting elements up the implement to conform tothe length of the ram unit, that is, the spacing between the connectingelements upon the piston and the cylinder.

Another object of the invention is to provide in one of the supportingstructures upon the implement a rotatable member having a connectingelement eccentrically mounted thereupon and means for rotating theelement to provide a range of adjustment therefor in order to adjust thespacing between the connecting elements upon the implement to conform tothe spacing between the connecting elementsof the ram.

These and other objects of the invention will become clear from thefollowing detailed description when read in conjunction withthe-accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation showing the rear end of the tractorhaving attached thereto an agricultural implement of the trail-behindtype in the form of a moldboard plow and showing the power liftmechanism of the present invention associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the structure Fig.1; I

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail showing the supporting mechanism by whichthe ram unit is mounted uponthe implement; I

Fig. 4.- is a detail showing the ram unit mounted upon the implementsupporting structure;

Fig. 5 is a detail of a bracket mounted upon an implement to which oneend of the ram unit is connected; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 5. I

Referring to the drawings, numeral l0 designates the rear drive wheel ofa tractor'toxwhich is connected in trail-behind relationship anagricultural implement in the form of a moldboard plow comprising aframe I I, a hitchstructure l2 for connection of the implement to thetractor, and a land wheel l3, a front furrow wheel [4 and a rear furrowwheel [5 upon which the implement is supported. Frame 1H comprises apair of laterally spaced longitudinally extending tool-beams l6 and I!which curve shown downwardly at their rear ends and have secured theretoplow bottoms I8. Land wheel I3 is mounted upon a crank axle I9 having atransverse portion 20 rotatably mounted in bearings carried on the beamsI6 and I1. Furrow wheel I4 is mounted upon a crank axle 2I having atransverse portion 22 similarly mounted in bearings carried upon thebeams I6 and I1.

It should be clear at this point that rocking of the crank axles I9 and2I will vertically move the implement frame I I carrying theearthworking tools between operating and transport posi-- tion. In orderthat the crank axles I9 and 2I may be rocked simultaneously duringraising or lowering of the plow frame, connectin mechanism is providedincluding an arm 23 mounted upon a transverse portion of the crank axle2i and connected by a link 24 with the upper end of an arm 25 secured tothe end of crank axle I9 extending from the beam I1. Rocking of thecrank axles I9 and 2| to lift the plow frame is transmitted to the rearfurrow wheel I through mechanism comprising an arm 26 afiixed to andextending upwardly from the transverse portion 20 of the crank axle I9and having connected to the-upper end thereof one end of a rod 21, theother end of which is pivotally connected to an arm 28 of a bell crank29 pivotally mounted upon the rear portion of beam I6 which is longerthan and extendsrearwardly of beam I1. Another arm 30 of the bell crankis slidably connected by a rod 3I with a castin 32 at the upper end of acrank axle 33 upon the rear end of which the rear furrow whee1 I5 ismounted. The mounting of the crank axle 33 upon the plow frame isconventional and includes upper and lower parallel links 34 and 35accommodating swinging movement of the crank axle 33 in a longitudinaldirection to vertically move the furrow whee1 IS in a direction and tothe extent of the movement of wheels I3 and I4.

Rotation of the crank axles I9 and 2i to raise and lower the implementis accomplished by power lift mechanism deriving power from the tractorpower plant and including a ram unit 35 which comprises a cylinder 31and a piston 38. The piston 38 is bifurcated at its end and aperturedtoreceive a pin 39 insertable in an aperture 40 serving as the connectingelement of the ram 36 upon the arm 26. The cylinder 31 is provided witha pair of lugs 4| apertured to receive a pin 42 insertable in an opening43 provided in a bracket-44 extending upwardly and secured at its lowerbase portion 45 to the beam I6. Bracket M thus serves as an anchoragainst which the ram unit reacts when fluid under pressure is directedto the ram unit 36 to extend or retract piston 38. Fluid under pressureis supplied from a pressure source upon the tractor, not shown, throughhose lines 46 and 41. The passage of fluid through the hose lines 46 and41 to the tractor pressure source, it may be understood, is undercontrol of the tractor operator through conventional valve mechanism,not shown, but preferably including mechanism for stopping the flow offluid to and from the ram unit 35 so that the piston 38 may bemaintained in a selected position with respect to the cylinder 37.

By virtue of the connection of piston 38 to rock arm 26, the crank axlesI9 and 2I may be swung vertically to raise and lower the plow frame withrespect to the wheels I3, I4 and I5, as previously set forth. It will benoted that extension of the piston 38 in the cylinder 3'! will rock thearm 26 in a counterclockwise direction and lower the plow bottoms I8from the raised position shown in Fig. 1 to an earth workin oroperating, position and that by retraction of the piston 38 within thecylinder the plow bottoms will be raised from the ground.

As stated before, when the implement shown in the drawings is to bedisconnected from the tractor, the ram unit 36 which remains with thetractor must likewise be disconnected. Inasmuch as it is desirable thatthe implement be transportable when the ram is removed therefrom, it islocked in transport position by mechanism including a pair of spacedlinks 48 apertured to receive a pin 49 insertable in an opening 56 inthe rock arm 26. A pin 5| is passed through the other ends of the linkG8 and an eyebolt 52 is mounted thereupon. Eye bolt 52 is provided witha threaded shank 53 which extends through an opening in an ear 54projecting outwardly from the base portion 45 of bracket 44. Nuts 55 areprovided at opposite sides of the car 54 upon the shank 53 for adjustingthe effective length of the links 33 by which the rock arm 26 is lockedto the frame, the links 38 and the bolt 52 thus serving as a locking orlatching mechanism to hold the arm 26 in position and maintain the earthworking tools out of the ground for transport purposes.

It has been previously pointed out that the ram unit 36 remains with thetractor when the implement is removed and is utilized in the operationof subsequent implements, such as harrows, disk plows, cultivators andthe like, embodying marked structural differences and, due tomanufacturing irregularities, lacking uniformity of spacing between theconnecting elements by which the ram unit is attached thereto. Assumingthat the ram unit has been used upon other implements and is now beingreplaced upon the moldboa-rd plow, shown in the drawings, thecy1inder3'l is attached to bracket 44 by inserting pin 42 through theapertures in lugs 4| and opening 43 in the bracket. The aperture 43which receives the pin 42 is eccentrically mounted with respect to theaxis of a cylindrical rotary member 56 afilxed to or integral with alever 51. R0- tary member 55 is mounted in an opening 58 in the upperend of bracket 44. The member 56 may therefore be rotated bymanipulation of the lever 51. Due to the eccentric mounting of theopening 43 with respect to the rotary member 56, rotation of the memberby moving the lever 5'] will move the ram longitudinally. Pin 39 is nowinserted in the openings in piston rod 38 and lever 51 is manipulateduntil these openings aline with opening 40 in rock arm .26. Pin 39 isthen driven home. Lever 5'! is again manipulated to relieve the tensionon pin 49, whereupon it is removed so that arm 26 and the rain are freeto operate. Lever 5'! is thus pushed down to the position shown in solidlines in Fig. 3, and pin 49 is inserted in an opening 59 provided in thelever and registering with an opening, not shown, in bracket 44.

The invention has been described in its preferred embodiment. However,it should be understood that modifications may be made therein Withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appendedclaim.

What is claimed is:

In a wheel supported agricultural implement having a tool-carrying framemovable relative to the wheels between operating and transportpositions, a member movable to raise and lower the frame, means formoving the movable member 6 REFERENCES CITED The following referencesare of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Johnston June 29, 1915 ElliotDec. 21, 1915 Winckler Mar. 7, 1916 Bird Feb. 19, 1935 Morkoski Dec. 26,1939 Newkirk June 1, 1943 Brown et a1 Mar. 14, 1944

